Unhaggle | 10 DIY Hacks to Make Driving More Enjoyable

Ghostwritten by Elliot Chan| February 18, 2014 |
Published in Unhaggle.com

You are a handyman; a crafty individual and every time you find a car and look upon it, you know you can improve it. Sure, you can pay a greasy mechanic to tinker around and add some gizmos and gadgets or you can do it yourself, because hey! You are a handyman; a crafty individual.When it comes to DIY projects, it’s important to think resourcefully. Like art, you must find possibilities in your limitations. Here are some hacks you can apply to your car to impress your passengers and enhance the way you get from here to there:

Shoe Organizers

A car can succumb to clutter quickly, especially on long road trips or during busy intervals where you don’t have time to clean. Consider draping a shoe organizer over the back of your car seat to add pockets for provision. Suddenly, everything you need is within the arm’s reach, and your belongings, whatever they are, won’t go tumbling under the seat every time you make a dramatic left turn.

Trash Can

Continuing on the subject of messes: keeping your car clean is an endless battle between convenience and remembering to pull up next to your dumpster. So, if you are sick of shoving your candy wrappers, empty drink cups and fast food bags to the side, put a garbage bag inside a plastic-closeable cereal container to create a portable trash can. You can also keep a supply of garbage bags inside an empty container, so you can make the changeover at your leisure.

A Car Seat Hammock For Pets

Cars are not designed for pets and often they end up under the seat or up top of your lap. By attaching a car seat hammock (a fabric that suspends over the gap) to the backseat, your best friend will have a safe and comfortable ride to the park, and you can simply wash the hammock after the furry, muddy excursion.

Go-Anywhere Cup Holder

Regardless of whether you have an old car or a new one, sometimes there just aren’t enough cup holders. Don’t panic; you don’t need to give your friends the important responsibility of holding your beverage – instead, grab a large roll of tape. The hole will function as a cup holder. And it’s never a bad idea to have a roll of tape in the first place. Be careful with the Big Gulps.

Unconventional Cleaners

If you want to be a true DIYer brand name cleaning solutions are a definite no-no. There are many alternatives to give your car a shine and to help you see clearly on the road. 1) Combine a quarter cup of baking soda with a gallon of water and add a quarter cup of dishwashing solution to create your own car soap. 2) To remove streaks from your windshield by placing a towel on the bottom of the windshield and then pouring cola onto the glass. The carbonated fizz will burn off the grim. Give it a good rinse afterwards to remove the stickiness. 3) Windshield wipers will get filthy over time and you’ll just end up rubbing stains back and forth. Add a quarter cup of household ammonia with one litre of cold water, rub the wiper blades with the solution and dry it with a cloth.

Toothpaste

It doesn’t just help you keep your pearly whites healthy, but it can also clean your headlights and remove scuffs. Take a tube of toothpaste and squeeze some onto a rag. Locate the dirty spot on your car and give it a firm scrub. The result is something to smile about.

Pool Noodle Bumper

If you have a tendency of squeezing into tight spaces, like I do sometimes in my condo’s parkade, it might be a good idea to create your own little bumper to avoid those heart-wrenching scraps. Use apool noodle – you know those limp floating summer toys – cut it in half and stick it to the wall. There you go: now you’re just like all those celebrities.

Tennis Ball Marker

If you find having bumpers comforting, you might also want to consider having a marker to help you park your car. Find a happy spot for your vehicle in your garage and then hang a tennis ball down until it touches the windshield. This will help your park job be consistent with zero dings.

Binder Clip Smartphone Mount

A new GPS costs money, but why buy something that your smartphone can do as well. All you really need is a mount for it in your car. Get a two inch binder clip, a string, a rubber band, and some duct tape (I told you tape will come in handy). Take the binder clip apart and then use a plier to bend the round top part (where the two wire pieces meet) upwards into a lever shape. Tie the string around the wire pieces for protection and grip. Put the wires back into the clip with the bent round ends facing each other. Then duct tape the exposed wire. Finally, wrap the rubber band around the wires to create a reverse tension. Then clip it to your car’s air duct or somewhere accessable, place your phone on it and off you go.